With his job on the line at UFC 115, Mike Pyle says he's finally got it all figured out

For several years, MMA observers considered Xtreme Couture welterweight Mike Pyle (18-7-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) one of the best fighters in his division not competing under the UFC banner.

But after Pyle finally made his way to the UFC in 2009 following stops in Affliction, EliteXC, the International Fight League, World Victory Road’s Sengoku event series, Strikeforce and the WEC, a rocky 1-2 run in the octagon means he is now something completely different.

As he readies for a UFC 115 preliminary-card bout with Jesse Lennox (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) this
Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,
Pyle is now just another guy trying to hang on to his job.

“Fighting in the UFC is so much different,” Pyle recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “You fight in the other shows, and there’s no pressure. It’s like, ‘Oh, well. If I don’t do good, they won’t have me back. That’s OK. I’ll go to Japan, or I’ll go to Strikeforce, or I’ll go to Affliction.’ I don’t want to go to any of those places. I don’t want to fight in Bellator.

“I want to fight in the UFC. … Fighting anywhere else just doesn’t make any sense.”

Pyle carried a streak of six wins in seven contests (with the lone loss coming to current Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields) when he made his UFC debut. But “Quicksand” took the fight on less than one week’s notice, and a difficult weight cut left him helpless against Brock Larson.

Despite the handicap associated with the performance, Pyle doesn’t make any excuses for the loss.

“That’s no excuse; I lost,” Pyle said. “[Larson] was the better man that day whether I had a bad weight-cut or not.”

Pyle bounced back with a September 2009 win over Chris Wilson, but a UFC 108 loss to Jake Ellenberger has left the 34-year-old again in the hotseat.

A traditionally exciting fighter, Pyle has gone the distance in just two of his 26 career bouts. Of his 17 stoppage wins, 16 have come by submission. It’s a statistic that highlights the Las Vegas resident’s capabilities.

But to keep his place in the UFC, Pyle says the secret isn’t his physical skills. Instead, he believes it’s the mental side of the sport with which he struggled to cope in his first few fights in the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

“I got off to a bad start and got a bad taste in my mouth to begin with,” Pyle said. “I just wasn’t able to shake that, I don’t think. Now I’m just taking the right procedures to get my mental capacity right and ready for this level of competition.

“This is make or break for me. There’s a little pressure on my shoulders, but I’ve taken the necessary steps it takes to go in more mentally ready. It’s not all physical. I’m ready this time. No excuses.”

After squeaking by Danillo Villefort in his UFC debut, Lennox also looks to rebound from a hard-fought January loss to Rick Story. Pyle said he respects his opponents skills, but he just believes Saturday night is his to shine.

“Jesse’s a tough guy,” Pyle said. “He had a good fight with Story last. He took a great deal of punishment and stayed in the game, so that goes to show he’s a tough kid.

“I’m not really sure if he has a wrestling background or what it is, but I’m a complete martial artist. I look to get in there and mix it up with him and come out victorious.”

For Pyle, it’s now or never. A near-11-year veteran of the sport who opened his career against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and then handed Jon Fitch one of just three career losses, Pyle has also tangled with the likes of Shonie Carter, Dan Hornbuckle, Rory Markham and Gustavo Machado.

But now is when it matters the most, and Pyle promises to deliver.

“For me, right now, it’s kind of a roller-coaster – up and down with the wins,” Pyle said. “I have to say I’m not happy with myself. This fight is going to be totally different. I’m going to go in, I’m going to show up, and I’m going to fight to the best of my ability.

“You’re going to see a different Mike Pyle this fight. That’s all there is to it.”

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